


"The Ones Who Have Gone Over"

by farad



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 19:50:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11951412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farad/pseuds/farad
Summary: A sequel, in a way, to "But Never Far from Folly" (http://archiveofourown.org/works/11906004), an Escorts story - as is this one - in my own adapted universe.  This one is a comment fic response that got way out of hand.  The prompt was "The amusement park was busy. Vin could hear kids screaming as the roller coaster swept by and various roadies tried to entice people to lose money at games to win stuffed toys. Nobody would hear them call for help from inside the van. Ezra moaned in the darkness nearby, finally coming to, and Vin tried again to loosen his ropes."All mistakes my very very own.





	"The Ones Who Have Gone Over"

 

“ _The Edge . . . There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.”_ – Hunter S. Thompson.

 

 

 

The amusement park was busy. Vin could hear kids screaming as the roller coaster swept by and various roadies tried to entice people to lose money at games to win stuffed toys. Nobody would hear them call for help from inside the van. Ezra moaned in the darkness nearby, finally coming to, and Vin tried again to loosen his ropes.

 

 

 

“Ezra,” he called, even as he worked his fingers against the knots, wishing for a knife. “Ezra, wake up.”

 

 

 

There was a long groan, followed by a few thuds, as if Ezra were trying to move. Vin hoped so - he needed the other man to be awake, if for no other reason that he needed him to be all right. The knot was beginning to loosen – the kidnappers had been in a hurry, more concerned about getting control of the two of them.

 

 

 

More concerned about getting them off the board so that they could threaten Chris. That wasn’t something Vin was going to let happen. And he was pretty damned sure that Ezra wouldn’t either.

 

 

 

There was another groan from behind him, another thud, and then a muffled, “I will kill them.” There was some slurring in the words, as if Ezra were drunk, and Vin shook his head.

 

 

 

“If you’d kept your mouth shut, they wouldn’t have slammed your head into the side of the van.” His fingertips were burning from trying to pull at the rough rope, and he was pretty sure they were raw.

 

 

 

“I was not going to let them dump us into this hellhole without a fight – do you have any idea how much these clothes cost?” His words were still slurred, but his reasoning was – well, as clear as Ezra’s ever was.

 

 

 

“Reckon it had more to do with making sure they didn’t find that rig you got on your arm,” Vin said.

 

 

 

There was a snort from the back, which was as good as an agreement as he was going to get.

 

 

 

“We gotta get out of here,” Vin said. “We can’t let them hold us over Chris. He won’t ever forgive himself if he has to implicate Senator Greenleigh.”

 

 

 

“You think he would?” Ezra asked, and Vin noted that his words were more clear this time, the blow to his head beginning to clear.

 

 

 

“If he thought these assholes were going to hurt us? Hell yes, he would.” He felt the knot ease a little bit more, and he tugged at one of the strands.

 

 

 

Then the floor of the van shifted and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched in surprise, thinking for an instant that the goons working for Senator Greenleigh’s opponent had managed to get back here without him knowing.

 

 

 

But the pressure was familiar, as was the presence at his back. “Good thing I saved my rig,” Ezra said, and a second later, the ropes around Vin’s wrists fell away as Ezra cut them apart.

 

 

 

Getting out of the van was easy enough, though they were both paranoid enough to keep looking over their shoulders as they scurried away from the van. Figuring out where they were took another few minutes, but Ezra guided them through a side exit and out into the parking lot of the amusement part. Within minutes, he had talked the security people into giving them a ride to the entry to the park, explaining that he had lost his keys and cell phone and had called from a payphone inside. Someone as on the way.

 

 

 

Since there was no one on the way, they had to walk about a mile to a convenience store to call the house. They’d been paranoid the entire time, just waiting for the goons to find them.

 

 

 

When Chris had shown up half an hour later, Vin had almost wished for the goons. The Larabee wrath was nothing to take lightly. Especially after Chris got a good look at Ezra’s face.

 

 

 

*&*&*&*&*

 

 

 

“I can’t believe we have to stay here,” Ezra sighed, dropping onto the couch beside Vin.

 

 

 

Vin turned and looked at him. The effects of the attack were in full force now: he had two black eyes, a red scrape on one cheek that shone from the ointment Nathan insisted he use, a swollen lip, and he had given up his usual well-tailored clothes for loose sweat pants and one of Josiah’s t-shirts. Vin still grinned at the sight of the Virgin Mary on Ezra’s chest, with the words, “Run for abstinence: The Virgin’s Half Marathon and 5K” in red ink against the yellow fabric.

 

 

 

“It’s safer,” Vin said, holding out the remote to turn the sound down on the television. “Morton’s men probably don’t know we’re gone yet - it’s only been four hours. Chris thinks they won’t check on the van again.”

 

 

 

“Ever? They would leave us to die?” Ezra’s voice was nasal, his nose not broken but still swollen

 

 

 

“We weren’t gonna die – at least, not unless something freakish happened. They knew we’d eventually get free – hell, I was almost free already. They didn’t want to hurt us, just wanted leverage over Chris, to get him to admit in public that Senator Greenleigh uses an escort service. That might not go down well in the campaign.”

 

 

 

Ezra snorted – or tried to. The snort ended in a short gasp as the pain hit him.

 

 

 

“You all right?” Vin asked, noticing how pale Ezra had become.

 

 

 

“You may think that they intended us no harm, but I cannot share your sanquinity. I want to find them and at the very least, have them compensate me for the time that I will be unable to work.”

 

 

 

Vin tried not to laugh, but it was a near thing, and he ended up choking enough to have to cough. By the time he was breathing okay, he was tearing so badly that he couldn’t see the irritation on Ezra’s face though it was really clear in his voice. “This little adventure is going to cost me upwards of $20,000 – no, I know that I can still work in the office, as I see few actual people there,” he said before Vin could remind him that his ‘day job’ as a tax accountant was one of – if not the – most lucrative jobs any of them had outside of the agency. “But I have – had, as it were – a solid weekend booked with some of my best – and most generous – clients. $20,000 is a low estimate of what I stood to make this weekend. But there is no way at all that I can show my face the way it looks at this moment.”

 

 

 

Vin drew in a breath and thought about what Ezra was saying. He could argue that some of it was Ezra’s own fault – he did run his mouth, and he did resist.

 

 

 

But legally, Ezra was right: those men had attacked them, and regardless of what Ezra did to complicate the issue, they had no right to lay hands on either of them. Kidnapping was a felony, regardless of the stupidity of the reason.

 

 

 

“Reckon at one level,” he said, speaking slow intentionally, so that Ezra had to concentrate to understand, “them doing this gives Chris an advantage that he can use against them – and better, for the Senator. It’s a close election, and the people of this state need her to win. I agree – it sucks what they did to us. You more than me, of course. And I suspect that if things go well in the election, the Senator will pay you back for at least some of your loss. Though – wasn’t she your big client this weekend?”

 

 

 

Vin knew the Senator had been; in fact, one of the reasons the kidnappers had taken the two of them was to throw the Senator off her game.

 

 

 

Ezra was wise enough not to snort this time, though he did try to roll his eyes. That didn’t seem to go too well either.

 

 

 

Vin lifted the television remote, thinking that the conversation was over. But before he could press the mute button to return the sound, Ezra asked, “You’re not angry about this? That they kidnapped us and are trying to blackmail us?”

 

 

 

Vin lowered the remote again and turned to look at Ezra. “Of course I’m angry about it. But it’s a part of what we do. We ain’t ‘normal people’, Ezra. We sell our bodies for money. And unlike most people who do it, we don’t have to. We all have good jobs that we can live on. We do this for fun – and part of that fun is the danger in it. Weren’t you a little bit – well, excited by having a gun stuck in your face? I reckon you had to be, to run your mouth the way you did.”

 

 

 

Ezra stared at him for a time, then he sighed. “You’ve lived this way most of your life, have you not? I mean, with the threat of violence?”

 

 

 

Vin shrugged. “More or less. Army was the only option I had when I turned 18, so I took it. And I was damned good at it.”

 

 

 

“And when you got out, you stayed in professions that utilized those same skills.” Ezra’s tone was conversational; he already knew most of this, so Vin assumed he was leading to a point.

 

 

 

He nodded. “Yeah, Ezra, I whored myself to whoever paid the most – professional military contractor. Got paid to shoot at people.”

 

 

 

Ezra looked away and said quickly, “That’s not what I meant. I meant that you have a long-standing history with violence. As in, you understand it.”

 

 

 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Vin said, sitting up and stretching. “But yeah, I guess I am used to it.”

 

 

 

Ezra nodded. “Do you think that’s a part of why you do this? Because you like the violence?”

 

 

 

Vin let his head fall back on his shoulders, stretching his neck, before he dropped it forward again and rolled his shoulders, loosening them. They were stiff from the hours they had spent tied up, where he was trying to undo the knot.

 

 

 

“Look, I ain’t the philosopher here. You want to know about violence and Adrenalin and the like, Josiah has a lot more thinking on it than I do. I have thought about myself, though, and yes, I know that part of what I like is the thrill of it – of taking that risk to walk into a strange bedroom and take off my clothes in front of someone I don’t know. It’s like going into a situation that’s hot, where guns are out and people are ready to shoot. It’s a similar feeling, the rush of blood, the thrill of not knowing. The challenge. So yeah, I guess it is because I like the violence.” He sat back, dropping his head on the back of the couch. “And if you think you’re different, well, hell, maybe you are. But the way you acted when they cornered us seemed mighty aggressive for someone who wasn’t having a rush.”

 

 

 

Ezra got up, and for a few seconds, Vin thought he was angry. He was more certain as Ezra strode away, his steps hard and fast. But he turned when he got to the door of the room, coming back just as fast and hard. But his face, when Vin saw it, wasn’t angry. It was as if he were thinking. Ezra got to the couch and turned and walked back again, and Vin realized he was pacing.

 

 

 

Sorting something out.

 

 

 

After another circle, his pace slowed and he sighed. Eventually, he stopped so that he was looking out one of the room windows, into the enclosed side yard. There was a large wall around the place, so that no one could look in, so other than the usual, automatic concern, Vin didn’t dwell on any danger.

 

 

 

He glanced at the clock on the far wall; Chris and the Senator should be well into the speeches at the dinner by now. He wanted to turn up the TV, see if there was any report yet on the local news, but Ezra seemed pretty anxious at the moment, so he waited.

 

 

 

He didn’t have to wait long, and when the words came, he wasn’t as surprised as he probably should have been. But then, he and Josiah had had a number of talks about this.

 

 

 

“My mother – well, you recall France last year.” Ezra’s voice was low, just loud enough for Vin to hear.

 

 

 

“Hard to forget,” Vin said, keeping his own tone quiet. “Though I’ve been in worse scrapes. In some ways, what happened this morning was worse.”

 

 

 

Ezra took a deep breath, not turning around. “I wish I could say that it was the first time my mother had been so compromised. But that would be a lie.”

 

 

 

Vin had expected that – as had Josiah. Though France had been the first time they had had confirmation of her habit of getting into things she couldn’t get out of, her behavior through the incident – well, it had been a lot like Ezra’s earlier. She did not seem to know when to keep her mouth shut, or when to recognize she could not win on her charm and beauty alone.

 

 

 

In France, Vin had had to shoot a man - he hadn’t killed him, he wasn’t that stupid. But if he hadn’t shot him, Ezra would be dead.

 

He hadn’t had to kill anyone today – which a sign that what happened today wasn’t as bad as Ezra seemed to think.

 

 

 

In France though, the shooting had been necessary. It had been a mess that Vin hadn’t felt good about – and that didn’t count the other things that had happened, the men who had tried to beat them both up, the men who had held Maude captive, the man who had tried to rape her – Vin swallowed, trying to forget all the things that had happened.

 

 

 

Instead, he said, “Kinda seemed that she was no stranger to it.”

 

 

 

Ezra made a noise that sounded partly like a snort and partly like a laugh. He finished it off by saying, “No, she’s not. In truth, I can barely recall a time when that wasn’t part of who she was. I spent my childhood waiting for her to come back from – wherever she had gone off to, with whichever man. She gambled, and she was good at it, but she also played other games of chance, some of them romantic, many of them not. I suspect you would call her a grifter -that’s what my grandmother called her.”

 

 

 

Vin nodded. He knew the term, knew it well. “I got the impression she wasn’t as innocent as she was making out to be.”

 

 

 

Ezra sighed and slowly turned back. Where he stood, he was cast in shadow, the window bright behind him. It sort of hid the bruises on his face, but it also made his eyes look like they were peering out of two deep tunnels. “My mother may have been innocent at one time. I like to believe that when she and my father met and fell in love, she was a very different person from the one I know. But the one I know . . .” He shook his head. “I promised by grandmother – hell, I promised myself – that I would not live that way. That I would never do things that stupid. And then - and then I started to lie to myself. As a teen, my mother started taking me with her, teaching me the tricks of the trade. I was – as she said, ‘a natural’, though I figured out after a while that what she really wanted me for was a cover, a shill for her own plans. Eventually, a plan fell apart and we almost ended up in jail. After that, I returned to my grandmother, who encouraged me to go to college. Which I did. I got an accounting degree, the safest profession in the world. I made money at it, and I invested it - which was a little like gambling but not so much.”

 

 

 

He sighed again and slowly moved back to the couch. As he came into the light, Vin could see that his friend looked even older – tired. “How’d you end up here?” he asked, knowing that Ezra knew what he meant.

 

 

 

Ezra sat back down, shaking his head. “One of my investments lost money, so I started gambling to recoup the loss. It was supposed to be as short-term thing, a weekend in Reno, the get the money back. But it went so well that I – well, I kept doing it. It didn’t help that my grandmother – my voice of reason – died. I started using it to distract myself from the pain. Got addicted, I guess. Then I started losing there, too, and instead of getting out, I got deeper in debt. Eventually, I found myself . . . buying off my debt in other ways.”

 

 

 

Vin nodded. “And Chris saved you.”

 

 

 

Ezra shrugged, but the corner of his lips twitched. “I suspect that is the best way to put it, yes. He bought off my debt, and offered me a deal. It seemed a lot – well, safer. Which I guess is why I don’t think of it as being as dangerous as you may. To me, it is safer.”

 

 

 

“Reckon I can see that. But you’re out of debt now, aren’t you? You can quit.” He watched Ezra, waiting for him to answer the question – and knowing what the answer was going to be.

 

 

 

Ezra sat for a time, his hands on his thighs. In the clothes, he looked like a child, a kid playing dress up. It was a sign that he was not feeling well.

 

 

 

“I think you saw the answer to that today,” he said eventually. “I thought I was past this need for – well, for the thrill. But you’re right – I acted today as I have seen my mother act. For all that I wanted to be different, it appears that I cannot be.”

 

 

 

There was a mournfulness in his tone that made Vin wince. It wasn’t like Ezra at all, this sense of failure.

 

 

 

“Is it such a bad thing?” Vin asked. “Reckon we all got a few things in common on that score – liking the thrill, I mean. But can’t none of us escape who we are, Ezra.”

 

 

 

Ezra turned his head, looking at Vin. “Have you not escaped who you are?” he asked.

 

 

 

Vin let his head rest on the back of the couch, knowing what Ezra was pushing for, despite the fact that Ezra had been polite enough not to ask directly. He didn’t have to answer. Truth be told, he didn’t want to answer.

 

 

 

But of all the men here, Ezra was the one who had shared more of himself with Vin voluntarily than anyone else. And he wasn’t talking about sex – though there was some of that, too.

 

 

 

No, this was more intimate than sex. This was knowledge.

 

 

 

So reluctantly, Vin said, “Don’t know my dad, but I know who he is. And I reckon I’ve got my wandering ways from him. He knew my ma was pregnant, and he promised to stay around, but he just – couldn’t. My aunt told me once that he sent money from time to time and even wrote some nice letters to my ma. She told me that he even asked after me. But those stopped after my ma died. Far as I know, he never tried to get in touch with me after that.”

 

 

 

“But you think you’re like him?” Ezra asked. “Do you have a son you’ve abandoned somewhere?”

 

 

 

Vin shrugged. “Not that I know of – don’t think so. I ain’t slept with that many women in my life, and think that it might be because, like you, I never wanted to be the way he was. But I am in most other ways. Never settled down, never stayed in one place too long. Afraid I’d get trapped, I guess.”

 

 

 

Ezra frowned. “I can see why you think that makes you like him, but I fail to see how that correlates with needing to live on the edge.”

 

 

 

Vin grinned. “My pa was a Navy flier. He tested planes and the like. Reckon I come by my idea of living with danger from him.”

 

 

 

Ezra’s eyebrows rose, stretching his bruised flesh. “Your father was a Navy test pilot?”

 

 

 

Vin shrugged. “Seems so. Every now and then, I search out his name on the internet. Dawson Tanner. He’s got some interesting history.”

 

 

 

Ezra nodded. “I suspect he does. Does that not anger you, though?”

 

 

 

Vin thought about it for a time. “Guess it did for a long time. I got into some trouble when I was a kid – hell, one of the reasons I joined the Army was to stay out of jail. But I guess, as I got older, I figured out that it really wasn’t about me. Sure, it hurts that he didn’t want me enough to even try to stay in touch. But he never knew me. He was gone before I was born. He loved my ma, and I guess that’s as much as I can ask for.” He glanced at the television, noting that the news was starting. “I can’t do nothing about the parts of me that are like him, and I guess I don’t want to. I can make sure I don’t make some of his mistakes – or at least what I think of as mistakes. But I ain’t gonna fight the parts of him that I can’t do nothing about.”

 

 

 

“And that’s how you see it, as a genetic component,” Ezra said. “Not a behavioral correction.”

 

 

 

Vin laughed, though his eyes were on the television, where the lead story, from the look of it, was on something that had happened in DC. That’d be good for at least three minutes or more. “You sound like Josiah. But yeah, I reckon I do. It’s in the blood.”

 

 

 

Ezra sat back and sighed. “And this is where evolution comes from - people with this ‘thrill’ gene probably die out before they can breed too many others with it.”

 

 

 

Vin shook his head. “Maybe so. Josiah thinks, though, that it’s more like we’re here to try to help out those who are ‘normal’, as he calls it. Whatever the hell that means.”

 

 

 

Ezra didn’t say anything for a time, long enough for the news to channel through several more stories – until an image of the front of the Hilton Grand hotel came up with the banner, “Senate Candidates find Common Ground for Children”.

 

 

 

Without asking, Vin hit the mute button and the sound came up as the baritone voice of the blond newscaster was saying, “ . . .joined forces tonight to raise money for the new wing of the Hepworth Children’s Hospital. Senator Greenleigh and her opponent in the upcoming election, media mogul Johnson Morton, both spoke tonight to large crowds at the fund-raiser for the new cancer and research wing of the hospital. Insiders had expected a this to be a divisive evening, as Morton has gone after the incumbent Senator at every opportunity, on just about every topic from the Senator’s voting record to her personal life. There was even a rumor that Morton had some sort of inside scoop on a scandal involving the Senator’s love life – or lack thereof, as the widowed Senator has remained unattached, citing devotion to the people of the state. But Morton surprised everyone by staying on point this evening, his short speech focused only on the need for state of the art care for our future.” The video, which had been a series of clips of people at the gala, including both Morton and Greenleigh, cut to a reporter standing before a curtain and Morton and Greenleigh with her. All three were dressed in elegant clothing, Morton in a black tuxedo with a dark blue tie and vest, Greenleigh in an emerald green dress and heels.

 

 

 

“Campaign colors,” Ezra said softly.

 

 

 

The reporter, in purple, said, “Thank you for taking a minute to speak to us. We agreed to keep the interview off the political, but this was an amazingly congenial evening for the two of you. Did you agree ahead of time not to make this a debate?” She held out the microphone to a point between the two of them, and Ezra chuckled.

 

 

 

Vin grinned, amused at the way that Morton and Greenleigh were looking at each other. No love lost there, at all, but it was clear that Morton was angry and Greenleigh was a little smug. It was Greenleigh who answered, her voice clear and cool. “We did agree that this situation was far too serious to be corrupted with campaign issues. I appreciate that Mr. Morton sees the importance of setting aside our differences for the greater good of our fair state and its citizens.”

 

 

 

“Touche,” Ezra said softly.

 

 

 

Not to be outdone, Morton followed with, “We do have to look to the future, something we can all agree on. These children will carry our values and hopes.” He glanced pointedly to Greenleigh as he added, “The family is at the heart of what our fine nation was built on.”

 

 

 

Vin shook his head and Ezra chuckled.

 

 

 

“Senator,” the reporter said, “I understand that there was some issue earlier about your security people?”

 

 

 

Greenleigh did smile them, showing teeth. “As you know, Deidre, I pay for my own security – to keep the people from having to shoulder an unnecessary burden.” She paused, not looking at Morton, but giving the sentence a second to settle into viewers’ minds. “Mr. Morton’s own people were confused as to why my men were here. It got sorted easily enough.”

 

 

 

“I’ll just bet it did,” Ezra said.

 

 

 

Morton looked as if he wanted to say something but before he could find words, the reporter looked into the camera and said, “Early estimates are that this fundraiser was a huge success, and that the work on the Cancer wing will begin within a month. Back to you, Ted and Donna.”

 

 

 

As the camera panned away, they saw Josiah stepping in close to the Senator, taking her arm and drawing her away from Morton who had taken a step toward her. In the background, Vin saw Buck grinning from ear to ear as a hand caught his upper arm and pulled him out of the frame.

 

 

 

“Well, that appears to have gone well,” Ezra said. “Though he deserves far more than being muzzled for a night.”

 

 

 

“I reckon he’ll get more,” Vin said, lowering the volume on the TV as the weather came up. “He’s made Chris an enemy now, and pissed off Buck. You know how Buck’s gonna be.”

 

 

 

Ezra shifted, stretching out his legs. “I do,” he agreed, and for the first time since he’d come into the room, he seemed to relax. “And in truth, I look forward to it.”

 

 

 

Vin glanced at him. “You do?”

 

 

 

Ezra grinned so wide his gold tooth caught the light. “I suspect I should do as you suggest and embrace my inner thrill-seeker.”

 

 

 

Vin laughed. “Seems to me it’s right late for that. Might be best if you embrace your inner accountant and try to minimize the collateral damage that comes when your inner thrill seeker can’t keep his mouth shut.”

 

 

 

Ezra made that noise again, the one that wasn’t quite a snort. They sat for a time watching the news – the sports was up next, both of them interested enough to pay attention.

 

 

 

As it faded out to commercial, Ezra said, “I believe it is time for more pain medication.”

 

 

 

“You okay?” Vin asked as Ezra got to his feet.

 

 

 

Ezra turned and looked at him. This time, his smile was softer. “I am as okay as I suspect I will ever be. Thank you for talking to me, Vin. And for the help today. I realize that I endangered you as well as myself. I do apologize for that.”

 

 

 

Vin smiled back. “I been running around with Buck and Chris for a while now, Ezra. You ain’t much more mouthy than the two of them when they get their heads together.”

 

 

 

Ezra did laugh then, a pleasant, relaxed sound that followed him out the door.

 

 

 

Vin turned back the TV but didn’t much pay attention to it, thinking instead about the day. Chris was right; it might be time to talk to Ezra about coming into the agency – the security agency. Might be safer for him than hanging out there with the gamblers.

 

 

 

Especially now that they had Morton and his mob buddies on their bad side.

 

 

 

He got up and grabbed beer out of the bar refrigerator. He’d wait up for the others, just to hear the story of how they’d shut down Morton before the event. It would be a good story.

 

 

 

But a costly one. They all knew that. So time to start planning for the future and how to cover their asses – all of their asses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
